Super Typhoon Haiyan - Leyte Governor Thanks Malaysia For Aid

Governor of Leyte thanks Malaysia for aid

TACLOBAN (PHILIPPINES): Governor of Leyte, Dominic L. Petilla has lauded efforts by the Malaysian team in despatching humanitarian aid, and thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on the initiatives.

Describing it as a big help from the Malaysian Government, he said he could not thank Malaysia enough for the advance assistance.

 

"First thing, I really love to thank the prime minister of Malaysia for sending the team, it's a huge task now, but it's really a big help from Malaysia," he told the media when met by Kelab Putera 1Malaysia volunteers led by its president, Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, who are on a humanitarian mission here today. 

 

Leyte province, with it 40 towns, was among the worst areas affected by 'super-typhoon' Haiyan last Friday. 

 

To date, about 1,700 bodies of victims have been found.

 

On the city's road to recovery, Petilla said he was unsure whether it would be early as the damage was enormous. 

 

"You count the money in the province of Leyte...it could not afford to rebuild all the buildings right away. 

 

"But what we can do is to 'rebuild' the people...some of them have been demoralised, some of them are probably losing hope...what we can do now is to give them hope...and we can (eventually) rebuild the province.

 

"The people of Leyte are really hardworking but now, it's like the engine has been stopped. We can repair it by giving them (the people) hope," he added. -- BERNAMA

Typhoon survivors line up to get fuel from an abandoned filling station Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013, in Tacloban city, Leyte province in central Philippines. Aid has been slow to reach the half-million people displaced by the storm that tore across several islands in eastern Philippines last Friday. (AP Photo/Bullit